Sony A65 to be back in Stock soon. A65 video review from Digitalrev
The video on top shows you the latest A65 video review form Digitalrev. But there is one good news I have to share. The Sony A65 will be back in Stock on December 9 at Amazon US (Click here). The camera has been stock for two weeks now and I don’t know if that is part of a new Stock of cameras coming out from the new Chomburi factory in Thailand.
P.S: Also the new 16-50mm f/2.8 lens is in Stock at Amazon (Click here).
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A65 shop links: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
A77 shop links: Amazon, B&H, Adorama, J&R, eBay.
Carlos Echenique
2 years ago |Another episode of “Kai Tries to get a Date”.
C
2 years ago |Damn it I tried to get in before the DigitalRev trolling
Renato S.
2 years ago |I’ll just sit and watch the comments madness of the constipated people
Helena
2 years ago |Another DigitalRev video I am not going to see
Mike L
2 years ago |Hi, guys. I’ve been looking to upgrade from my A100 (I do have the NEX-5N as well and it’s amazing!), and was looking forward to the A77 or A65. I had some reservations about their high ISO capabilities, but more recent reviews have helped but my mind at ease.
I still have one or two concerns, and I was hoping someone here could help me out. Could those of you who have either the A65 or A77 could answer two questions?
1) If you have ever shot the starry sky at night, does the stationary mirror cause any troubles? I plan on shooting sometimes with high ISO to freeze the stars in place, and other times with low ISO and long exposures, so that the stars streak.
2) Do the cameras have a port for the cable remote? While my A100 does, the NEX-5N does not, which makes it less useful for longer exposures (unless I buy a wireless remote, or so I am told).
Thanks for your help!
bboy
2 years ago |1)a77 is a crop sensor and i believe a100 is ff, so wide angles for sky shots aren’t as great.
2)star streaks requires several minutes to several hours of exposure. A77 will keep the shutter open for that long if u physically hold the shutter button down for the whole duration in bulb mode, but im not sure if it will do it on a timed basis where you can walk away from the camera for several hours?
3)battery is rather weak in the a77, least compared to other models. so know that your max exposure times could be limited by that if you intend to expose for several hours … if so, you may wanna invest in the vert grip that holds 2 batteries vice the 1
Mike L
2 years ago |Thanks, bboy. I am aware of the battery’s shortcomings. I believe it will not be a problem for my purposes.
Oh, and the A100 is also APS-C, just like the A77.
My bigger concern is if the mirror in the A77 will cause image problems with all those little points of light. I don’t want two Ursa Minors in the same photo.
And my A100 has a cable remote input. That allows me to take pictures as lons as i want, and i can lock the remote so that i don’t have to hold it during long exposures. This is why i am asking if the A65/77 has the same input (the NEX-5N, for example, does not have this).
Thanks again!
Jens G
2 years ago |I tried a few shots against the night sky this evening, just to try it. I have no idea of what the stars on the photos are, but here are a couple of them, shot with A77 + 16-50 @50. I don’t think there is ghosting.
Cropped some and resized:
http://jensg.dk/album/albums/test/701140.jpg
A different shot, resized but not cropped.
http://jensg.dk/album/albums/test/701143.jpg
100% crop of what I guess is a shooting star in bottom left of 701143
http://jensg.dk/album/albums/test/701143-2.jpg
And finally the moon, which I do recognize on the sky
http://jensg.dk/album/albums/test/701128-2.jpg
Using 70-400 @400
I used the same cable that I used with A700.
Mike L
2 years ago |Wow nice shots, Jens! Thanks fir sharing. The moon certainly looks clearer than the shot i took with my A100, Minolta 500mm f8, and 2x teleconverter. I think it’s going to be a good Christmas.
BMan
2 years ago |I have to correct a couple wrong statements here:
- A100 is APS-C, same as A77. Only FF cams from Sony were the A900 and A850.
- star streaks do not require several hours of exposure (10 minutes is more than enough, believe it or not).
- with a remote control (corded), you can lock the shutter, so that it stays open in bulb. That’s how all the old film cams got to do very long bulb exposures.
And to answer the original question:
The mirror causes no “ghosting” – at least I have not seen any images of it yet.
And both the A77 and the A65 have a remote control port. The A77 also has an option of the grip, if that is your choice – and I think it features the standard AC adapter (which the AC-VQ900AM provides), and the A65 needs something special.
Mike L
2 years ago |Great info! Thanks BMan!
(and yes I have taken some ten minute shots which show the streaks… I think bboy was talking about getting the stars to streak to the point where they make concentric circles in the image)
redfern
2 years ago |FYI, you’ll get better results by stacking 30 second exposures than by just leaving the shutter open for hours at a time. Put the camera in M mode, continuous shooting, long exposure NR off, steadyshot off, lock in an ISO (I use 800-1600), lock in the f/stop as close to wide open as possible (depending on whether you want something in the foreground in focus or not), set the shutter speed to 30 seconds, set the WB manually (don’t leave it on auto!), set it to manual focus at infinity or just prior to it, and use the cable release to start the shooting and lock it on.
Then you can walk away, sleep, etc. for hours while it shoots one 30 second shot after another. When you’re done, put the lens cap back on and take 2-3 more shots with the same settings. These will be “dark frames.” The dark frames will still have spots of image noise from the hot pixels that form on the sensor after that much shooting.
Finally, use Startrails or Deep Sky Stacker (Google them!) to put all the frames together. The images you shot will get stacked, and the dark frames will be used to calculate which of the pixels are not stars but noise, and they will be removed. The end result will be a relatively noise-free star trail shot.
Here’s a quick example I did in 2.5 hours:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_dreamtime/5107587455/
Best of all, with this method you can also make time-lapse movies of the star motion, since you will have hundreds of frames to work with!
Mikey
2 years ago |A100 is crop sensor
Bulb works the same on all cameras just get a wired shutter cable with lock
The battery life isn’t that bad, especially
Mike L
2 years ago |Thanks Mikey. And i already have the cable, which i actually purchased for my Minolta Dimage 7i.
WilliamLeong
2 years ago |bboy: You really don’t know what you’re talking about do you?
emopunk
2 years ago |+1
Zstan
2 years ago |The battery itself is not weak… It’s the a77 which sucks up a lot of power.
Ianh
2 years ago |Mike
From what I’ve seen on DPReview, the A77 camera performs well in astrophotography. I assume the A65 does as well. (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1037&message=39679051)
I believe the streaks generally come from not being able to follow/track stars. Some telescopes have this neat ability. I’m going to get a t-mount for one.
The Camera also does have a port for the remote. There is a rubber door covering it, according to photos. I am eagerly awaiting for my A65 to ship…
Photo showing remote port: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta65/images/spectable.jpg
I highly suggest you read the reviews on the A77 and A65 at dpreview.com if you wish to learn more about them. I love that site!
-Ian
Mike L
2 years ago |Ah, thanks Ian! That’s good news.
I was worried about the fixed mirror producing glare, but if there is enough consensus on dPreview that this is not a worry, then I will be getting an A 65 or 77 soon, too!
Thanks again!
Gorn
2 years ago |Coming from the A100 as well I have to say the A65 fits better with my needs than the A77. The A77 is just a bit too bulky, I don’t really need the extra dial for I’m used to getting along with just one and the A77′s joystick is awkward to handle if you’re used to the 4-way-button which is nearly the same on the A65 and A100.
Don’t even need more focus points for I only use the center one to focus and recompose afterwards – spend quite some time with the A77′s autofocus not focussing on what I want, and after being too frustrated changed it to center focussing before finally sending the whole camera back (because of some other issues).
So if you’re still indecisive, my vote would go to the A65 (which is also much cheaper, btw).
One thing that bugs me is the A77′s much better EV-bracketing capability, but that’s not worth 400€ to me… can be done manually as well.
Another is the 1/8000 shutter speed on the A77 – but when do you really need that…
Mike L
2 years ago |thanks, Gorn. And my thinking is similar. The extra exposure bracketing would be great, but that seems to be the only advantage for the 77 over the 65 that I would use. The price actually does not bother me, except that if i get the 77 then i would definitely not be upgrading again for a loooooong time. With the 65, if something superior comes out in a few years, i would be much more likely to upgrade.
Cheers!
Sam
2 years ago |Go for the A77!
WilliamLeong
2 years ago |Well Gorn, as much as I don’t want to say this, I’ll say it anyway. Just because you do not know how to fully utilize and appreciate a good camera, doesn’t mean that others won’t. My Alpha history was A100 > A700 > A77 and ergonomics-wise alone, the A100 is already blown out the window, same as any other entry-level Alphas out there, A65 included. Sure, the A100 has an interface that no other camera in the Alpha lineup has, but that’s not the point. To date, the A700/850/900 has one of the best, if not THE best button interface layout there is on a digital SLR. With the A77 coming in on a close 2nd place. The layout is well placed with important buttons located well within reach even with the eye shoved in the EVF. Of course, this is a matter of preference and getting used to over time.
The only plus point where I’d suggest someone to go for the A65 is only that because it’s much cheaper than the A77.
EV-bracketing (can be done manually)
1/8000 shutter speed (when do you really need that)
Ever heard of the story about ‘The Fox and the Grapes”?
Gorn
2 years ago |I fully agree with the essential point you’re making: Just because I do not like the ergonomics of the A77 it doesn’t mean others won’t.
I was just trying to give my opinion and appreciate others who do likewise, so everybody can take out of the big picture what he/she thinks is important
Concerning “The Fox and the Grapes”: for me (mind you: for me!) the advantages of the A65 over the A77 (which I tested for about 10 days) outweigh the advantages of the A77. And that’s that. Of course I’d like to have better EV-bracketing and, if possible, 1/20000 shutter.
Believe it or not: I made an Excel-sheet to weigh both camera’s plusses and minusses – and ended up with the A65. No need for anybody else to come up with the same conclusion.
Jonasm
2 years ago |Both the A100 and the A77 are magnesium alloy bodies. The A65 is plastic. I went from A100 to A350 but the plastic feel was a real turnoff. Now on the magnesium NEX-5 and it’s back to a rigid grip again.
Jessy Plames
2 years ago |I love these vids. There’s enough super serious reviews/tests out there.
Rodrigo
2 years ago |Another failed episode of “I wanna be the Jeremy Clarkson of camera reviews”.
Blah
2 years ago |I don’t see why anyone would want to be Jeremy Clarkson right now!
Rodrigo
2 years ago |Kidding, right? Getting paid millions for traveling arond the world, drive the most fantastic cars, and say whatever you want?
I know whtat specific comments you’re refering to, but this is a camera site so I’ll kepp that topic out.
Blah
2 years ago |Wow, he really seems to be hating Sony less these days! Good to see a fairly objective review from him, hope he can keep it up!
Anon
2 years ago |a65 = crappy buffer
mark
2 years ago |I believe its the same buffer so that not really a valid point.
DUY LE
2 years ago |I owned a65 but don’t really happy with the silent shutter sound. The clear, loud shutter sound was the reason why I fell in love with DSLR cameras =(
oppel
2 years ago |???..sure you’re on the right board? Maybe you should try this one: http://www.gamesounddesign.com/forum/
william leong
2 years ago |Get an A100 / 5DMII / A900 then
Mike L
2 years ago |Thanks Redfern! I’m sorry but my iPad isn’t allowing me to reply to your post above. I do know about stacking, but i thought that was only for keeping the stars in place. I didn’t know you can use it for star trails as well. Your picture looks great and i can’t wait to try it myself soon!
Thanks again!
Mark
2 years ago |There are many A65s in stock at Newtonville Camera, Newton MA.
I